320/365 Grateful for Color

"Colors in the Wind"

This is the status of my Christmas knitting.  It is probably in this particular state because I was taking pictures of the yarn rather than knitting with the yarn.  Apparently I have a problem with priorities.  But the colors sure are pretty all clumped together.  Maybe I can give 'Do-It-Yourself Hat, Scarf, Slipper  Kits"  to everyone.  

319/365 Grateful for Nourishment

"Everyday Nourishment"

Everyday, regardless of what else we pack for lunch, there is always an apple.  This was not a conscious decision; I suppose it is a habit that we have formed and neither of us has ever questioned it.  Whoever makes lunches slices an apple for each lunch.  No discussion.

We don't pack any kind of dessert sweets for lunch.  For me, my apple satisfies any desire that I may have for something sweet after lunch.  Honeycrisp apples are the favorite around here though we can only get them in the fall.  The one pictured is an Arkansas Black.

Somewhere deep down in our subconscious mind we must be firm believers in "an apple a day keeps the doctor away."

318/365 Grateful for Progress

"Half Stoned"

Just keeping things real today...

We are almost done with the renovations on the inside of the house and have now started on the outside.  Most of the outside work is being done on the entry way and front porch.  The biggest change is the addition of stone to some of the red brick on the front of the house.  The stone is in place but is waiting to be grouted.  A fresh coat of paint will also be added as soon as we choose the color.  We are hoping to remove a few shrubs and expand the front entry a bit.  As I am writing this, it seems like we have a lot left to do.  Hopefully we can accomplish it all before the end of the year.  We'll see...

317/365 Grateful for Unspoken Words

"Wise and Quiet"

"The good and the wise lead quiet lives."

Euripedes

316/365 Grateful for Simple Pleasures

"Perfect Match"

Someone who loves me left me a treat on my computer keyboard when I stepped away for a minute.  I had a lot to do tonight and was a bit on the stressed side.  It is not necessarily a pretty thing when I am trying to do too many things (like more than one) at a time.  I get grouchy.  It is very possible that this gift left for me was really an act of self preservation.  A little chocolate and peanut butter will settle me down for at least a few minutes.  Whatever the impetus, I enjoyed it!

315/365 Grateful for Freedom

"Not Forgotten"

This is the POW / MIA bracelet that I have had since 1969.  Though I was much too young to understand all of the politics of the Viet Nam war, it was very real to me because my dad spent a year in Viet Nam.  Thankfully, he returned home safely to us.

As a child, I wore two of these bracelets.  In 1973 while living in Hawaii, I had the honor of meeting each and every plane carrying the POW's who were returning home.  Stepping off the plane in Honolulu was the first American soil that these serviceman had stepped on since their release.  I was able to give me other bracelet to the man whose name was engraved upon it.  Like my father, he returned home to his family.  CDR. William P. Yarbrough did not.  To this day, I pray for him and his family.

On Veteran's Day, I give thanks for all of the men and women who have and are serving our country and protecting our freedoms.  And, I remember those who lost their life so that the lives of others would be better.

314/365 Grateful for Selfless Acts

"For the Love of Students"

Much of who I am today is the result of teachers that I had along the way, teachers who believed in me, nurtured me, and challenged me.  There is no doubt that they all imparted knowledge, but it is the wisdom of these most influential people that has remained with me, particularly in the case of those teachers who taught calculus and chemistry.  The greatest way I know to honor what each of these selfless people did for me is to give to my students that same kind of learning experience that I was given.